Masks stay put in Japan as three-year request to wear them ends

Dropping mask-wearing request is one of the last steps Japan’s government is taking in easing Covid-19 rules in public places as it tries to expand business and other activity.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives without wearing a face mask at his office in Tokyo (Kyodo via AP)

Japan has dropped its request for people to wear masks after three years, but hardly anything has changed in a country with an extremely high regard for their effectiveness at anti-virus protection.

Most commuters exiting Tokyo’s main train station in the morning were wearing masks as they headed to work. The same was true of people on the streets.